A cautionary note on thermal runaway reactions in mixtures of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids and N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide

N-Methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) cannot be completely separated by extraction from mixtures with common 1,3-dialkylimidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) due to strong ionic interactions between the two components. At elevated temperatures, above approx. 90 degrees C, especially under dry conditions and in the presence of acid, alkylating or acylating agents, remaining NMMO in ILs tends to undergo autocatalytic degradation. This is a highly exothermic, unstoppable process that results in explosions, flames, and complete charring of the reaction mixtures. Thus, caution must be exercised when drying or heating ILs that were in previous contact with NMMO, and the absence of amine oxide must be confirmed to avoid potential danger.